The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) will be at the BBC’s The Great British Story event at St Fagans: National History Museum this weekend (16 June) to announce details of a new UK wide £1million grant programme for local heritage projects.

All Our Stories has been designed to help local communities explore and celebrate their past in support of The Great British Story – A People’s History. Presented by Michael Wood on BBC Two, the exciting new series explores the history of our nation through the eyes of ordinary people over the last 1,600 years and will be accompanied by a BBC Learning roadshow during May-July giving visitors a unique opportunity to find out more about their personal history as well as that of their local area.

Local groups are being encouraged to go along to St Fagans National History Museum between 10am-5pm on Saturday (16 June) where members of the HLF Wales team will be on hand to provide advice and information about how to apply for lottery funding.

All Our Stories is a new, simple, funding scheme with grants available ranging from £3,000 - £10,000 - developed so everyone can get involved in their heritage. From researching local historic landmarks, learning more about customs and traditions to delving into archives and finding out the origins of street and place names - this new programme will give everyone the chance to explore their heritage and share what they learn with others.

Liz Girling, Development Manager for HLF in Wales, said: “One of our key aims is to help groups explore the stories, people and places that are important to them and make history accessible to everyone. With such a diverse range of heritage across Wales, this new grant scheme will give everyone the chance to uncover and share their areas’ fascinating stories, and help document it for future generations to explore.

“This free BBC Learning showcase event is a great opportunity for people to come along and find out how to apply for funding. We look forward to having as many people as possible this Saturday to enjoy hands on activities, workshops and talks and most of all find out more about what is available to them through our new small grant scheme and various other grant programmes.”

Abigail Appleton, Head of Commissioning for BBC Learning, said: "Having the HLF with All Our Stories at BBC Learning's showcase events will give community groups a powerful way to take their learning journeys further. I look forward hugely to seeing what is uncovered.”

To find out more about these grants and how to apply, visit the HLF stand at the Oakdale Institute at St Fagans on Saturday 16 June or go to the All Our Stories page.

To find out more about The Great British Story events, the TV series and to download a free The Great British Story Fact Pack go to the BBC website. 

Notes to editors

BBC Learning
BBC Learning is hosting a number of The Great British Story events across the UK. HLF will be present at showcase events with advice to support applications under All Our Stories. These events will provide opportunities for people to discover their place in history, learn about their surnames and uncover the history of their local area. BBC and partner events are listed on BBC Things to Do page.

All Our Stories grants
Applications will be accepted from a wide range of organisations including community groups, heritage organisations and charities. The application process is simple:

• Go to the All Our Stories programme page
• Enter the details of your organisation
• Answer a series of simple questions including, what you want to do, how you will do it and how much money you will require.
• Applications need to be submitted online by 31 July 2012 and applicants will receive a decision by October 2012.

Expert university help for your project
HLF is working in partnership with universities throughout the UK to offer grant applicants support with their activities. This could include help from a local history expert, an archaeologist, or an archivist. This help has been made available through the AHRC’s Connected Communities programme whose aim is to understand through research the changing nature of communities and the role of communities in sustaining and enhancing our quality of life. A call for participation was issued towards the end of 2011 and 21 organisations were selected following peer review.